Colin and Neil went for a bike ride one morning while Mo and I stayed home and did yoga – having done it so rarely lately I’m pleased that I haven’t lost all my flexibility.

Then they made some progress towards installing the roller-shutter door in the basement, and Neil also replaced a part in the fridge of the campervan so it will run on gas or battery again.

The next day we said goodbye to Neil – he’s leaving for England before we get back – and got on our way by mid-afternoon. In order to avoid Bordeaux we headed southeast rather than southwest and just past Cahors found a nice little campground in the village of Cabrerets – after being once again mis-directed by Miss GPS. I knew we’d been misled when we crossed a bridge and turned onto a very narrow dirt road. Luckily there was a wide turning space after about a mile and we were able to back-track to the correct road.

There was an older fellow on a bicycle at the campground reception – he told us he was just leaving but we could park wherever we wanted and if he didn’t see us in the morning before we left we could just leave some money in the ‘honour box’.

It was right on a small river in a narrow valley with steep cliffs on either side. Many of the houses were made of the stone from the cliffs and almost looked as if they were built into them.

We found out that the fridge isn’t fixed after all – just barely enough to keep things a bit cool if we don’t open the door often. The drive south to Pau the next day was very pretty – we took small back roads and there was hardly any traffic.

Once again we found that we were on one of the many Camino de Santiago routes.

We went a bit past Pau and picked a spot on the time trial route. An enterprising farmer had opened one of his fields to campervans and a girl was collecting ten euros from each vehicle that entered.

We settled in, got the flags up and watched as more and more people joined us in the field. One campervan got stuck so the farmer came over on his tractor and pulled them out.

After another good breakfast at the hotel we left Rochefort and headed up to the Ile de Re which is just past La Rochelle. There’s now a large bridge connecting the island so you don’t have to take a ferry anymore.

We really liked the island – we drove up the south side to the Phare de Baleines at the northwest tip. Along the way we kept marvelling about all of the bikes and bike paths we were seeing – they’re everywhere and lots of folks are taking advantage of the lovely weather and flat terrain.

The lighthouse wasn’t quite what I expected – well, the lighthouse itself was as expected, but the area in front of it was a bit of a surprise. First of all, the very large parking lot was quite busy, and then you walk about 500 meters to a bunch of shops and restaurants.

The shops are selling mostly local goods – at least a couple have the ‘ass milk soap and skin-care products’ that I’d read about, and several shops sell various versions of little stuffed donkeys with the trousers that the local donkeys are famous for wearing.

The lighthouse is quite nice, although we didn’t pay to go in but just walked around it and then along the seawall on the other side. The tide was out and there were dozens of people walking around and even having picnics.

There are hundreds of small towers that people have made by piling up the beach stones – the first few might have been cute or funny, but so many copycats kind of ruin it for me.

We walked along a bit, then went back to the car and drove to the very end – the road ended so we back-tracked a bit to get on the road that goes east along the island’s north coast. We stopped at the town of Saint-Martin-de-Re which is right on the water.

We parked the car and walked towards the village centre along narrow cobbled roads. The sidewalks are also cobbled and very uneven, with different kinds of surfaces every few meters – walking was not easy. We passed an old church that seemed to be in ruins but actually was still in use with only the roof in ruin. I went inside and had a look at the stained glass windows which were ok, but the place itself had the faintly musty smell that I’ve noticed in a lot of old stone churches.

We found the main ‘square’ of the town that was, as in so many towns, ringed by restaurants, cafes and bars – only this time the centre of the square was actually a marina.

We chose an outside table at one of the restaurants for a late lunch and settled in for some people-watching. The place was very crowded with people milling about but what kind of bugged me was the cyclists everywhere that were riding through the crowds instead of getting off their bikes and walking for a bit. It’s nice that they’re out getting exercise but I was sure someone was going to get run over – luckily we didn’t witness any accidents.

My fish soup was delicious – it came with croutons and cheese, as well as a small ‘fondue’ to dip my bread in. We both got the same main course, which was lightly-breaded white fish on a bed of baby potatoes and mushrooms – also very tasty.

After eating we walked around a bit along the ramparts – the entrance to the marina is fairly narrow and boats had to take turns coming in and going out. There were some girls jumping off the cement and swimming inside the walls – don’t know if that would have been my preferred place, and I bet it was pretty cold.

We got back to Mansle in the early evening but didn’t bother with dinner as we were both still full from the lovely lunch we’d had.

After a nice breakfast at the hotel we walked via a different route to the area the market had been in. There’s another series of nice parks along the way, and a couple of statues and displays.

We intended on getting another Lavazzo coffee but that cafe wasn’t open so we went down another road to the main square in front of the city hall.

It’s got a fountain with statues on top and the large square is ringed with cafes – we chose one and had a coffee there.

It wasn’t Lavazzo, but was a different Italian kind so was still pretty good.

Walking back down to the river we stopped at another cafe and had a drink – there’s a dog at the cafe that’s really cute – he reminded me of Snoopy from the Penalty Bar. He’s got a nifty haircut – done by the owner herself – and is very amorous towards Mo, who couldn’t care less. Charlie had to be brought back inside several times.

Down at the river the barricades had been removed so we were able to enjoy strolling along the river path. I had been completely wrong about which way the river was flowing – it actually does a large loop around the town so was going in the opposite direction of what I’d thought.

We reached a marina right near the hotel, and there’s a nice looking restaurant on one side.

Once again we watched the day’s Tour stage on tv before going out for dinner. We went to the restaurant on the marina and it was a good choice – I opted for their burger with fries. The fries were especially tasty – they were cut in rounds and were nice and crisp on the outside – perfectly cooked and not soggy or mushy.

It was a good thing we’d gotten there fairly early as by the time we left the place was packed. It was so nice sitting outside on such a lovely evening and enjoying an excellent meal.

After leaving Mansle around 9:00 we arrived at Rochefort at about 10:30. The room wasn’t ready for us as we were early, so we parked the car and went for a walk. The receptionist had given us a map with a few things marked, and we headed first to the market that was setup along Avenue Charles de Gaulle.

It was quite a large market, and most stalls were local produce, cheese and meats – not very many of the ‘made in China’ junk that can be found in some places.

We walked the entire length, stopping along the way so I could get a stylish new sun hat – it has an inner band so it doesn’t scratch my ears, and a chin strap so it won’t get blown off. At the far end of the market we found a nice cafe and had a coffee – it was actually Lavazzo – an excellent Italian brand.

On the way back to the hotel we went down to the river and saw the Hermione – a replica of the frigate that was sailed by general La Fayette to America in 1780 to assist in dislodging the British.

There’s another ship there as well, and this one is a ‘climbing attraction’ – they attach a rope to you and you get to clamber around on rope ladders, etc. The kids looked like they were enjoying themselves a lot.

We wanted to walk along the river back to the hotel but all paths were blocked – they’re setting up barricades in preparation for festivities tonight in honour of Bastille Day. It’s actually the River Charente, which, as is passes through Mansle, isn’t that large, but here in Rochfort is very wide – also very muddy from the effects of the tide.

When we finally made it back to the hotel the room was ready so we checked in and watched the day’s Tour stage on tv. We hadn’t had lunch but snacked just a bit before heading out for dinner. We walked back to the area where the market had been and chose an outside table at a nice-looking restaurant. I started with an appy plate that was excellent – several different tapas in a slightly vietnamese style. For my main dish I had chicken on a bed of mashed potatoes – also very tasty.

After eating we wandered back to the large park where some of the festivities are happening. There were food booths and tables setup in a large courtyard in front of a stage so we sat down and listened to a live band. The four fellows looked fairly young, and they played some pretty good music.

There was going to be fireworks, but we didn’t stay for them – I’d been wearing my contacts all day and I’m not used to them anymore as I usually wear my glasses/sunglasses instead. As we left the area more and more people were arriving to watch the display, but we continued back to the hotel.

I was still up reading when the fireworks started – Mo was dozing on Colin’s bed and made a few half-hearted barks at the noise but wasn’t really serious about it. She jumped between the two beds a couple of times during the night, spending about half of it snuggled under my left arm. I still miss my kitties very much and I think Mo knows it so she offers comfort when possible.

We had a couple of really good rides over the last few days, although nearing Goue on our way home one day we both almost got clipped by the machine that a tractor was pulling – he had the wings facing out instead of in and it must have come within an inch or two of my left shoulder. The sunflowers are going crazy.

One night the bar had fish and/or scampi and chips dinner so we went down to partake. Most of the local brits were there so it was well attended and we had some good company. I actually got the dessert for once and as I took the first bite of my ice cream bar I felt something weird on one of my teeth. It turned out that the right tooth next to the front one had broken about ⅓ off vertically! I’ve named it The Fang – it didn’t hurt and there’s no nerve pain but to my tongue it feels like a giant gap.

I got all of the deck rails painted black and Colin got almost all of the wooden slats sanded – when it’s finished it’s going to be beautiful. Mo is always interested in what we’re doing but has to be kept inside at times so she doesn’t get covered in paint or dust.

We’ve been watching the Tour on tv every day – there’s been some good action and I’m getting excited about going south to see a couple of stages live. The first three stages were in Belgium, the home of the great Eddy Mercx, and the crowds were fantastic.

It’s been several days of varying weather – from very stormy (especially at night) to blazing hot. We’ve gone on more than one really nice ride, including one day to see the ‘Dolmens’ which are burial mounds from about 2,000 years ago.

The next day Colin was out with the local cycling club while I took Mo down to the bar and visited with Peter (one of the brits). We saw a firetruck go by with sirens blaring and lights flashing, then a police car or two, and some utility trucks. As we looked up the street – towards Colin’s house – we could see several utility workers in their bright vests and hardhats going around looking for something.

When Mo and I left the bar we had to detour to the main road as they had blocked our path home. As I approached the house I could see that the medical clinic across from the house had been evacuated and all of the staff were milling around watching the operation. The utility guys had gone from house to house and were checking everywhere with their meters. I walked up to the police and they said ‘no no’ until I pointed to the house and they said ‘ok, but stay inside and don’t come out’.

I got inside and the power was out – they’d cut it to the whole area while they tried to track down the gas leak. At one point I went out on the balcony to get a better look at the action and one of the cops yelled ‘madam – back inside’ (in french, but I understood the gist of it). They eventually traced the source of the leak and brought in the heavy machines to tear up the road.

Another ride took us to Chenon to have a look at the war memorial, then on to Aunac for lunch. There’s a lovely little restaurant that has no menu, just whatever they’re serving that day. We started with a nice selection of buffet salads, then the main course of roast pork and rice – it was so tender it fell apart with the fork, and was very delicious. Next course was a selection of local cheeses, and lastly a dessert, which I as usual, passed on.

By day 3 of the gas leak they’d actually dug a hole about eight feet long, four feet wide and five feet deep. It looked like they’d replaced a couple of main lines with very fancy-looking new ones, then quickly filled it in and re-paved over it – job done!

The mighty Tour de France has started – watched stage one on tv, and looking forward to what we’re going to see live.

Mo has been farting a lot lately – not sure if she needs a change of food or what but we’re scared of lighting a match!

Housecleaner Yvette came over at 8:30 one morning, so when she arrived I took Mo out for a few hours so she didn’t get in Yvette’s way. We walked down to the campground bar for a coffee, but it wasn’t open yet so we sat on a bench in the sun and read for awhile.

They’re starting to setup booths and things at the hippodrome for tomorrow’s race so there was a fair amount of activity happening. Next we strolled up to the war memorial and sat on another bench, this time in the shade as it’s already starting to get hot.

Back down at the campground bar, which was now open, I did get my cafe creme, which was extremely strong but tasty. Our final stop was up at the Penalty Bar to wait for Colin to join us.

There’s a special lunch on today so the local brits started to arrive just before 1:00. The meal started with a really nice smoked salmon and shrimp salad, then the main course – that we’d pre-ordered – of ‘lamb in black beer’. It was excellent – very tender and flavourful, and served with rice. Following that we got to choose what we wanted from a wonderful cheese tray, then there was vodka on ice cream, and finally, of course, coffee.

By the time we were finished it was really hot out – between the heat and the amount I’d eaten I could barely make it up to the house. And thank goodness for air conditioning.

The next morning I actually set my alarm – first time since the day I came over, I think. I’m really not used to getting up early anymore so rising at 6:00 was a bit shocking. We made it out of the house on time just before 7:30 – Colin’s riding in a local sportif, and I’m helping with coffee and snacks for the riders. I was with Florence, the wife of Michele who organizes the local club that Colin helps out with. They’d stayed in the house in Papiano last summer and we’ve been to their house for dinner before – they’re both really nice people.

The local club had organized it and a total of 130 riders participated, which was pretty impressive. Luckily the major heat held off during the ride – it was actually a bit overcast and relatively pleasant for them.

Once Colin had finished his 67 km we headed back to the house for a bit, then returned to the hall to take part in lunch with the other organizers. It was wonderful – very similar to what we’d had last year at the ‘little ones’ race day. There was a nice sliced roast pork, fresh baguettes, a lovely mixed salad and – my favourite – rillette (kind of pate-that’s-not-pate). The next course was a very creamy camembert-type cheese, then for dessert apple tart – all washed down with red wine, of course.

When everything was packed up Florence asked if we wanted to take any of the leftovers home – I almost lunged for some of the rillette, and they also gave us the half-full box of wine.

Very full once again we popped back to the house so Colin could grab his camera and drop off the car, then headed down to the hippodrome to visit the horses and watch a few races. By this time it was starting to get fairly hot again but the race grounds at least have lots of trees for shade.

As usual we strolled around the horses’ area first and at one point we jumped out of the way of an incoming horse and cart that had just raced. We said ‘sorry’ for being in the way and the ‘jockey’ answered us in English. We chatted with him for a bit as he unhooked the horse from all its trappings – he’s actually Belgian, and it turns out he’s good friends with Philip Gilbert, one of the great cyclists on the Quickstep team. Small world! He has a second horse that would be in race number 5, and he told us that if he wins he’ll buy us a beer.

Colin actually placed a small bet on the Belgian’s horse, then we found a spot in the shade in the grandstands to watch. The first race we saw had a false-start – several horses were acting up so they called them all back and re-started.

When race number five came up we were, of course, cheering hard for the Belgian, but it wasn’t to be. He was dead last for most of the race, moving up to fifth or sixth by the finish – never bet on a ‘sure thing’, even when the trainer tells you he could win.

The last race we stayed for also had a false start – we saw one jockey sitting on the grass, having somehow been unseated, and several other horses got spooked. All of the racers eventually left the field, returning after several minutes to get restarted – I couldn’t tell if the unseated jockey had returned, however.

We didn’t stay for the last couple of races, opting instead to leave a bit early and stop at the bar for a quick drink on our way home. It’d been a very full, but quite tiring day and it was good to sit and relax for a bit with the air-con blasting.

We’ve gone for some nice rides over the last days – if we don’t leave early enough it gets pretty hot, though. We stopped one time for a quick visit with Tony and Joyce.

Mo’s been a very good girl while we’ve gone out riding each day – she now seems to understand that we won’t be gone long, and we will come back for her.

The sunflowers have almost exploded with growth recently – a couple of weeks ago they were just starting out and now they’re taller than the poppies. Some farmers are already cutting the first crop of hay.

One day after our ride we went out for lunch – first we tried the little cafe on the lake of the willows, but it was completely closed down. So we kept driving to Aigre and stopped at the restaurant in the square. We both got the beef skewers, which were one of the two daily specials.

The meal came with a salad, as well as green beans, small salty roasted potatoes and a mild pepper dipping sauce. Every part of it was just delicious – the meat was tender and flavourful, the green beans had a bit of garlic but not too much – it was really a very lovely lunch.

Another day we started taking the deck railings down so we could sand and paint them – Colin took the nuts off and removed the wooden slats from the metal railings while I pounded the bolts out of the slats. It’s going to be quite a job – sanding the slats, painting them and the railings, then putting it all back together again.

We drove to Saint-Sulpice-de-Cognac to get a few things for the campervan, including a couple of little portable chairs – they fold up into almost nothing and have handy little carrying straps. Now when we park somewhere and want to photograph races from up or down the road we don’t have to lug the lawn chairs along.

A couple of mornings started out very misty-looking – I wondered if it might be smoke by it didn’t smell like it, and I’m not aware of any large fires burning nearby. On one of our rides we went to Ligne, where there’s a cemetery with some Templars’ graves – all that’s left are the stones, with any inscriptions long since worn off.

We did a bit of tidying up – the book shelves in my bedroom look much better, although there are probably a lot of books that could go to the charity shop some day. One night we had donair kebabs for dinner, and another night we went down to the campground bar – they were showing the women’s soccer game between France and the US, and they had a live band playing.

The band wasn’t bad, but the result of the soccer game sucked.

Didn’t get up that early, and after I had a nice shower went down for breakfast – it was somewhat better than expected, and Mo was welcome. We checked out of the hotel but put our bags in the car and left it in their carpark for a few extra hours – they said it was not a problem.

I’d looked at the map and we chose a large park to go to that we hadn’t seen the day before – it’s just past the beautiful fountain and we had no problem finding it.

It’s very nice and peaceful, with beautiful flower beds, paths and ponds with different kinds of ducks, geese, swans and other birds.

Also a children’s area that we smartly avoided.

After circling the park we went to a cafe we’d passed and had a cafe creme – very strong but good, and not as atrociously expensive as yesterday’s had been.

After our coffee we walked back through the centre again, passing the tour buses loading up and along the street with all the fancy stores.

We took a slightly different route back – there was one road that had a plaque telling about the Camino de Santiago – St. James went everywhere!. And apparently he smoked also – ha ha.

I took my version of a selfie at an appropriate place…

We got back to the hotel and I did a quick change into something cooler – it’s a lot warmer than the day before.

We got on the way back to Mansle around 1:00 and made pretty good time – traffic in the other direction on the ring road wasn’t so lucky. Then just before Angouleme there was a convoy of motorcycles that were taking up both lanes and slowing all the traffic. They were protesting the lowering of the speed limit last year and cars and semi-trucks were backed up for a mile or more.

We got home at a decent time in the afternoon, then went down to the bar for a drink, before coming back for a nice salmon and salad dinner. As usual I stayed up a bit late reading.

We left for our little trip to Bordeaux just before nine – as usual most of the traffic was semi-trucks, and it got pretty slow along parts of the Bordeaux ring road. We dropped Neil Sr. off at the airport, then followed Miss GPS’s instructions to the hotel.

It’s right across from the Garonne River, but the room wasn’t ready yet so we dumped our bags and went for a walk. The nice young lady at reception had given us a detailed map and circled several places and things to see within walking distance.

There are nice wide paths all along the river that you can walk or cycle on, but unfortunately not all cyclists use the correct path, and further down there are barriers in some places because of a festival. There are several sailing ships moored, including two very large ones from Russia.

One of them had round shield-like barriers at the top of each mooring rope – Colin told me they were to prevent rats from crawling along them and getting onto the ships.

The area across from the river was very pretty – all buildings made of a lovely cream-coloured stone and none more than four or five stories high. There are beautiful gardens between the wide paths, and someone was actually camping in a blue tent in one.

It was lightly raining off and on when we stopped at one of the many food booths to get lunch. We chose one that specialized in Basque food, and each got a tapas plate and a half pint of cider – it was not cheap! – but it was tasty.

After we’d eaten we continued walking and the rain started again. Almost at once we came to a beautiful statue that had no placque – a woman that had just been released from her shackles. What was she released from? Slavery of some sort – from slave traders? Or put in the modern era – from an abusive husband, or a controlling religion?

We crossed the road and took shelter under some large trees for a bit, then headed towards a beautiful fountain.

There are statues here and there along the way, but the ones at the fountain are some of the best.

A large area was blocked off – there’s going to be a concert as part of the festival, either tonight or tomorrow night.

We wandered along a bit, then picked a cafe on the main square to have a coffee out of the rain. The place was packed but we got a table and sat down. The cafe creme was good, but I think it was the most expensive coffee I’d seen yet – over 5 euros each.

There are already hordes of tourists everywhere and combined with reckless cyclists and the odd car, walking down the narrow streets was a bit challenging. We managed to find our way back to the hotel without any problem – as long as we knew where the river was we were ok, and the map we’d been given was helpful as well.

We checked in and relaxed for a few hours – watched the day’s stage of the Tour de Suisse and read a bit.

At around eight we went back out to find a place for dinner. If we’d thought there were crowds in the afternoon that was nothing compared to those out at night. Thousands of people everywhere, and each bar or cafe we passed had music loudly blaring.

We tried to find an Italian restaurant we’d passed earlier but couldn’t locate it so we settled for a nice outdoor table at a different place on a small square. Again there was music playing but it wasn’t deafening – you could hold a conversation without shouting.

The crowds were actually great – many young folks, but also whole families with children and older people – a good mix. And even though people were walking around openly drinking – and smoking (the good stuff, not cigarettes) – there didn’t seem to be any problems. Everyone was just out having a nice evening.

For dinner I had an excellent salad with smoked duck breast, followed by a grilled steak with fries – also very good. By the time we finished it was almost 11:00 so we went down to the river and sat on a bench awaiting the fireworks that the hotel receptionist had told us about. Unfortunately we believe she meant the next night, so continued back to the hotel. It was by then pretty late and I was very tired – I think we’d walked about 10 miles or so altogether.

Mo was exhausted too – she slept on my bed much of the night and hardly moved.